The field of this disclosure relates generally to sleeve assemblies and, more particularly, to a sleeve assembly for use with a combustor in a turbine assembly.
At least some known turbine assemblies include a compressor, a combustor, and a turbine. Gas flows into the compressor and is compressed. Compressed gas is then discharged into the combustor and mixed with fuel, and the resulting mixture is ignited to generate combustion gases. The combustion gases are channeled from the combustor through the turbine, thereby driving the turbine which, in turn, may power an electrical generator coupled to the turbine.
Many known combustors employ a sleeve assembly that includes a liner that defines a combustion chamber in which the mixture of fuel and compressed gas is ignited. To extend the useful life of the sleeve assembly, it is common for the sleeve assembly to include an outer sleeve that surrounds the liner, such that a flow of compressed gas directed between the liner and sleeve cools the liner. However, it may be difficult to adequately cool the liner of at least some known sleeve assemblies, particularly in systems that rely on impingement or film cooling. In these systems, the amount of cooling air may be insufficient to uniformly cool the liner without incurring a significant pressure drop in the gas being conveyed to the head end. As a result of non-uniform cooling, some existing sleeve assemblies have experienced high stresses at the downstream connection point between the inner liner and the surrounding sleeve.
It is common for sensors or other ignition-related components to be inserted into the combustion chamber through the sleeve assembly to facilitate monitoring or ignition. In some cases, the design of the sleeve assemblies may make it difficult to properly locate sensors and other instruments in the combustion chamber.
Not adequately cooling the sleeve assembly and/or not being able to properly position sensors within the combustion chamber may result in portions of the sleeve assembly and/or other combustor or turbine components overheating. Over time, continued exposure to overheating may cause thermal cracking and/or premature failure of such components.